Saving Sayid
by suspencer
Summary: When worries begin to mount after Sayid's 3 month absence Hurley's attempt at levity may actually bring an end to his friends captivity at the hands of the not-quite-all-together Danielle (in other words, Danielle is just plain crazy in this fic)UPDATED
1. The Accidental Hero

** TITLE:** Saving Sayid  
** AUTHOR:** suspencer... but I don't own them. I just like to TORTURE them  
** PAIRING:** None. Sayid/Hurley centric (NOTSLASH!)  
** RATING:** PG-13ish... for mild violance  
** SUMMARY:** This is how I would done Solidarity (Cause I'm twisted)  
** WARNINGS:** I'm a Hurley ho that LOOOVES Sayid D (Fair warning yalls) 

Leave it to Hurley to discover a golf club set and take it upon himself to decide that everyone was getting a little to tense for his liking, and that they all needed to go chill, or as Hurley so eloquently put it. "_Dude, we, like need to depressurize this situation before we kill each other. Because we're all stressed and junk... so... Golf anyone_?"

Fun was had by all, well, all which participated. Sawyer was being his surly self, he didn't want to come out and play. Kate was keeping him company and Sayid... Sayid was on what Locke and Claire had called a "walk about"-- But Hurley was still worried about him. Sayid's walkabout shouldn't have taken three months. A few weeks, he could understand. They could all understand a few weeks. But as the months stretched on and on he became more and more convinced that something was definately wrong.

And while it could be argued that they didn't really know a great deal about Sayid, it could also be argued that they didn't really know anyone else on the island either-- but Sayid just didn't seem like the type of dude to just up and leave for an significant period of time without setting up a way for them to know that he was okay. And yet they had seen nothing, not so much as a smoke signal to reassure everyone that he was okay.

He knew Kate was worried, too. He could tell. Claire and Charlie worried as well-- well, Claire worried, because Claire loves everyone-- even **Shannon**. But Claire was worried about Sayid's disappearance, and if Claire worried, then Charlie worried too.

Jack tried to reassure them that Sayid was fine, that he was a trained solder, and that he could survive on his on. But late at night, when everyone started going to bed, Hurley knew that Jack always stayed up late, because of his pesky insomnia-- even before they moved to the caves-- sit at the fire whie gazing out into the night sky.

But now, now it was different, he stood at the mouth of the cave and looked into the heart of the jungle instead of the bright night sky as he anxiously whispered, '_C'mon, man. Come home, Sayid, send a smoke signal, burn half the Goddamned jungle down, just give us a sign man, any sign that you're okay_.'as he stared into the heart of the jungle, as if **_willing_** a sign, a fire, something, anything to happen to reassure them. But nothing ever changed. Every morning Jack would go and talk to Kate, and ask if she had received word or a sign from him, but the answer was all the same.

He wasn't sure about Sawyer. He wasn't even sure if Sawyer had noticed that Sayid was gone, let alone how LONG he had been gone.

"**_FOOOOORE_**!" Charlie playfully bellowed as he readied his aim and took a swing, bringing Hurley out of his revelry.

"_GO CHARLIE_!" Claire cheered and clapped from her shady spot under a tree.

Charlie bowed gallantly. "Thank you, thank you, I'll be here all week."

"**_MY TURN! MY TURN_**!" Exclaimed Hurley, excitedly. He walked up to the ball, put the putter under his arm, cupped his hands over his mouth and roared. "**_FOOOOOOOOOOOOOOORE_**!!"

Charlie turned to the other survivors. "In _OTHER _words: **_DUUUUUUUUCK_**!"

"Ha. Ha. Very. Funny." He shot back as he took aim and swung hard.

Charlie playfully ducked behind a tree as the golf ball soared over the treetops.

"CRICKEY MATE!" Claire exclaimed, shading her eyes, following the balls flight.

"BLOODY HELL, Ol' man. That poor ball never stood a bloomin' chance." Charlie howled with laughter.

"_**Awww…**_" he scowled. "Jeez Louise, Now I'm gonna have to go chase after it!"

"Don't worry about it, Hurley. We have golf balls to spare." Jack assured him.

"Nah, dude, like, it's my fault. Beside, remember what they used to say in school, 'He who hits it; gets it.'" He shrugged, handing Charlie his putter and walking towards the hills.

_"**BE CAREFUL HURLEY**_" Claire called out after him, feeling very juvenile for doing so.

"Yeah, man, we haven't explored that far yet, okay?" Boone called out after her.

He was touched by their concern, but tried to act all macho and brush it off.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever dudes. Listen, if I'm not back in an hour and a half, send out a search party, and-- SEND FOOD!" He joked, but as he turned to continue on his way he didn't see Charlie, Jack, Boone and Sun looking at their respective watches to keep track of when an the time.

**_---------_**

By the time he reached the vicinity of where he was pretty sure the ball had landed, Hurley was huffing and puffing, his face red from the exertion as he bent down, his hands on his knees, trying to catch his breath. "Note to self:" he huffed. "Have Locke make a walking staff..._ SOON!_" He grumbled as he began his search through the brush and shrubbery.

"God, I hope I haven't been gone as long as it _FEELS _like I've been gone." He grimaced as he glanced at his watch. "Stupid ball." He snorted, walking around a big boulder, "doesn't want to be found, because it doesn't want me to hit it again... so it's just going to stay lo-- _uh oh_." He voice faltered as his foot stepped onto a sinking piece of land. His face fell. "Don't panic, just stay calm. Slo-o-wly pull your foo--" his voice trailed off as the earth gave way, causing him to plummet through the hole.

**_--------_**

Sayid was in pain. Correction. If you felt pain, then at least you were still were capable of feeling, Sayid was far beyond that point. It had gotten to the point that he was used to the pain, like a constant ache of pain, a constant buzz of agony had settled over him. It was the way he had for the last three months, and it didn't seem to be subsiding anytime soon. He yearned for numbness, just as he longed for the finality of oblivion, not to experience the excruciating pain she inflicted upon him, causing each and every cell and neuron in his body to buzz and hum and cause him endless sleepless nights.

He knew he was in a bad way the day that he had realized that he was in shock-- because most people in shock don't know it. But not Sayid. It was one of the few things he **could** discern outside of the pain.

Whenever he screamed for mercy, or pleaded quietly, tearfully for death he spoke in his native tongue. Even though he knew that there wasn't an ice cubes chance in hell that she knew what he was saying. Because that's what you do when you go into shock, you revert to what is instinctual. And for him, speaking his native tongue was instinct.

Not that he understood her either. French wasn't his first, second, or third language. And he had long ago give up on beseeching her for to attempt to speak in English, as that only made her angrier... not that he thought that that was possible-- _**boy had HE been wrong**_!!

It was disturbing to him, how he could have an almost out of body experience. He could feel the blows to his body, he could feel the electric shocks throughout every cell in his body, he could almost see his body reacting to it, be he did not feel the pain. Because to feel would be to scream and he would not scream. She wanted that. And he would not give her the satisfaction of hearing him scream one more time.

Instead, he waited until she was gone, usually in a huff, locking the door to the cage like room she kept him in, and then and only then would he allow his emotions to overtake him, to feel the agony, and allow the tears to fall.

She stopped her torture and glared at him as she pulled a lever, releasing him to fall back onto the table, knocking the breath out of his lungs.

She snickered as he gasped, before locking the door and turning off the lights.

He turned his head to one side, and bit down onto his lip, allowing tears to pool in his eyes. He watched the door for a long time, half expecting her to walk back through. But she didn't. After a second he let his head loll back to resting place on the wire springs and let out a loud, blood curdling, soul shattering scream of agony. One scream was followed by another and another, until he was hoarse and exhausted and fell asleep.

**_------_**

Hurley shook his head roughly. He coughed and looked from one side to the other. _'A HALLWAY? On an ISLAND?_' He thought, incredulously.

He gave himself a quick once over before muttering to himself. "Gotta love built in padding."

But as he stood he realized that he might have sprained his ankle. "Damn, so much for a padded fall." He groaned as carefully stood on the tender ankle.

He felt something wet on his hand and looked at it. "**Blood**." He gulped, feeling the blood rush from his head. "No." He snapped. "I am NOT going to faint. Pull yourself _TOGETHER_, dude." His vision became snowy, but he concentrated hard on not passing out. _'You're on a weird ass island, in a hallway that doesn't LOOK like a natural piece of landscape-- not to mention the lights hanging above you-- and God KNOWS where you will end up if you pass out. So DON'T_!' he chided himself. After taking several breaths he was able to shake his head clear of the cobwebs and began to hobble down the hallway.

He stopped when he heard a series of blood curdling scream. "Uh oh." He gulped nervously. _'Where the HELL is the closest exit!!_' His brain screamed.

Just as he was about to turn around and search for an exit the screaming stopped. It was replaced by a soft voice, in a language he didn't understand and had only seen on CNN and World News Tonight. He may not have understood the language, but that didn't mean he didn't know the sound of a prayer when he heard one.

He listened for a second before he realized that re recognized the voice. However, it didn't take him long to place it. "_Sayid_," he breathed, his heart skipped a beat. He carefully peaked around the corner and saw Sayid strapped down to a bed that looked like it was made of bedsprings, inside a room that looked like a cage.

"_Sayid, Sayid_." He hissed, trying to get his attention. But Sayid kept on muttering his prayer over and over again. Hurley knew he needed to escape soon before he became Sayid's neighbor, but he couldn't just leave him behind. Especially seeing as he was in such horrible pain.

He didn't know his way out. And it would take too long to get the others, and if he waited and got help and if they actually _BELIEVED _him, they might only find a lifeless body when they "_rescued_" him.

Just as he was about to peak around the corner to see if the coast was clear, the door to the cage opened and light flooded the room.

_'Oh! CRAP! BUSTED_!' He thought, frantically, as he pushed his body up against he wall.

But as he stood there, expecting to get caught, he heard footsteps walk across the cage and Sayid moan in pain.

He cautiously looked around the corned and watched she a lady dabbled a cool damp clothe across Sayid's fever forehead. She whispered softly to him, in a language that Hurley could only assume to be French. '_Oh, Fuck me! Why the HELL did I take FOUR years of Spanish!!_' He thought incredulously as he listened her tone go from soft and gentle to coarse and angry.

He winced as she brought out a tray of food and shoved it into Sayid's face, but Sayid refused to eat the filth. She started yelling at him, and then pressed a button, and Sayid landed on the floor with a sickening thud.

_'Ouch, man, ouch_.' He winced, staying hidden, peaking out just a little around the corner as the woman fastened Sayid's hands together with a rope, then with another rope she fastened one end around his hands and the other around something on the floor to keep him on the floor level. She then bound his feet together for good measure and then with another rope she looped one end around his feet and the other to something to anchor him. Before she left she kicked him in the stomach and put the plate of food a few inches away from his face. She spat something angrily before storming off, locking the door and turning off the light.

When Hurley was sure that she wouldn't be back Hurley hurried around the corner. **"_Sayid_." **He hissed, **"_Sayid_." **But nothing seemed to get his attention.

_**-----**_

As he hit the floor a familiar sensation pain went through him, he grimaced. His hands fell open as he hit the floor, and something round and odd feeling rolled into his palm. He closed his hands around it tightly before she trussed him to the floor. He wasn't sure why he did it, but he did.

When he had hit the floor the familiar sting of arrows and daggers shot through the parts of his body that had already gone numb, bringing them back to life with shooting pains. Every inch of him screamed for mercy. A whimper escaped his lips, but he couldn't hear it over the wail of pain that came from inside his head.

He wasn't sure how much longer he could handle it. No, he knew he couldn't endure it much longer.

He captor was obviously over the bend, mentally. Beating, torturing, starving him one second and then tending to his wounds the next. It was more than confusing, to say the least, it was maddening.

The only other thing he knew without a doubt, was that if something didn't happen soon... whether it be a rescue (_a possibility that he didn't count on, seeing as no one knew where he had gone_), or she didn't just out right KILL him soon, then he would do it.

He would will himself towards that final peace. At least then he wouldn't ache, or be hungry, or throb, or be in agony anymore...

**_-----_**

Hurley easily cut through the ropes that helped the gate to the cage off its hinges. He set it aside, and then snuck across the room. It occurred to him that either he was magically healed, or that his adrenalin gland was working in overdrive, because, suddenly, his ankle didn't hurt so badly. Either that, or God was being extra generous and not letting him feel it for the moment. Call it _'divine intervention' _if you will.

As he knelt down next to Sayid he thought to himself. _'Note to self: Give Mr. Locke a big, huge hug for sharpening my blade last night before bed.'_

"Sayid? Sayid? _Pssst_, _Sayid_?" He hissed, trying desperately to stir him without startling him too badly.

"_Sayid_?!" he hissed sharply, as she started to cut the ropes that held him down to the floor.

Sayid's eyes shot open, he gasped sharply, pulling his arms over his face to protect his face from any blows, which caused him to pull himself up sharply. He yelped before falling back to the floor.

"Sayid, chill dude, it's only me, ya know... Hurley." He whispered softly as he pulled back so that Sayid could see that he meant him no harm.

Something deep inside Sayid was awakened and faintly recognized him, his body relaxed. "Good, here, drink." He pulled his water bottle out of his cargo pants pocket, took off the lid and tilted it to his lips.

Sayid welcomed it, gulping the refreshing liquid down his parched and soar throat. "There... Don't freak man, there's more back at camp-- _just gotta get you there_," he muttered as he went back to cutting the ropes. "Almost done." He reassured him, as the first rope broke free. "Just gotta free your fee--" he trailed off as she looked at his feet. "Blood," he gulped. "Shut up, Hurley, just get it done." He groused, forcing his attentions to anything besides the bloody ropes around Sayid's feet.

Sayid started talking but Hurley couldn't understand him.

"Dude, English. _ENGLISH_!"

Sayid looked at him oddly.

"I don't speak Iraqi-- or whatever language you dudes speak."

Sayid blinked, rested his head against the floor, licked his lips and tried once more. Hurley could barely understand him, as his voice was so soft and ragged that Hurley had to strain to hear him.

"Run."

"Wha-?"

"RUN!" He said louder, looking over Hurley's shoulder at the approaching figure.

Hurley turned around for a second and nearly screamed, she had spotted him. "Oh shit." He took his knife and with sudden precision and finite accuracy, he cut the rope with one fell swoop.

"Leave me," he panted, his eyes drifting shut. It was difficult to keep them open, it were as though his eye lids were leaden curtains that refused to rise. He was weak and exhausted, but he would not put his friend in mortal danger. He, a trained soldier, couldn't bear this kind of pain and he would never dream of being the reason that Hurley ended up in a similar situation. "I-- I will be fine. Run... before she sees you."

Hurley reared back as he yanked his still bound feet from the rope that kept him tied to the floor. "I don't know how things are done where you come from, but where **_I_** come from, we don't find our friends in a bind and then leave them to suffer-- that's just not _COOL, _Dude!" Sayid took little comfort in this as Hurley pulled away.

"Can you walk?"

"No… I'm too weak-- leave me--" he panted heavily. "She's getting closer-- I'll be fine-- I have survived this long--" He stopped when Hurley looked him in the eye.

It were as though he could see right through him.

"No man, this ain't going down like that. Nuh uh. Not no way, not no how." He grunted as got to his feet, bent over, grabbed Sayid's still bound hands, put them around his neck and then picked him up.

"What are you doing?" He asked incredulously.

Hurley looked over his shoulder as the woman started running towards them. "I'm getting our asses _OUT _of here before psycho lady carves me up like thanksgiving _**TURKEY**_!" After a second he added. "Just put your head against my shoulder and act like you've fainted-- better yet, faint, that way I won't just be pretending, okay?" Sayid did as he asked, as he **REALLY **wasn't sure he wanted to see what happened next and seconds later he heard Hurley begin to run.

He could hear the woman behind them, she was screaming and running after them. "Do you know the way out?" Sayid asked quietly, just soft enough that he managed not to move his lips.

"Naw, I fell through the ceiling, we're going to have to bullshit our way through this man," Panted Hurley as he skid around the corner.

"OOOH! An EXIT sign!" He exclaimed. He tried the knob. "Damn! Damn! DAMN! It's locked!"

He heard a whirring sound and Hurley gasp. Sayid opened one eye and saw a spear in the wall, inches away from Hurley's head.

"Damn! Damn! **_DAMN_**!" He took one step back. "_**HOLD ON TIGHT MAN**_!" With a grunt he kicked the door open. "_**WOOHOO**_!! It **WORKED**!!"

And he started running again.

The cool fresh air hit Sayid like a brick wall.

'_Freedom_.' He thought, as his body went limp.

"Ah, shit. Dude?" Hurley asked as he panted and ran down the hill. _'I don't know which way I'm going-- I don't know which way I'm GOING!!!' _He thought frantically.

**_-----_**

Jack was starting to get nervous. Charlie was getting antsy. Claire was so upset that Shannon and Walt had taken her back to the caves to relax. Sun was periodically glancing at her watch and Michael anxiously as she watched the hills. Boone was watching the hill side more than the golf game. Kate and Sawyer had both shown up, but had chosen to stay hidden behind to separate trees, and even they noticed that while they played, Jack, Charlie, Sun, Michael and Boone weren't exactly paying a great deal of attention.

"What you think, Freckles?" Sawyer nodded to the group.

"I don't know-- hey, where's Hurley?" She asked softly.

Sawyer did a double take. "So _that's_ who's missing."

Kate rolled her eyes. "**_Observant _**much?"

His reply was cut off by applauding and shouts of joy as Jin made a whole in one.

**_------_**

Shouting, hooting, hollering, he didn't care what they called it, but he could hear it as he slid down the hill side with the crazy lady like 20 foot behind him and gaining.

"Almost there," he wheezed, "almost there." He turned a corner and saw the group. "Thank _**GAWD**_!" He muttered. He could feel his adrenalin pumping again. '_Oh Goody, cause I get a feeling this I'm going to hurt when it's all said and done_.' He thought to himself as he started running even faster, faster than he had ever thought it were possible for someone of his size to run, down the hill.

"**_HEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEELP!_**" He bellowed as another spear landed within inches of him.

"**_HELP ME! HELP ME! HELP ME! AAAH! HEEELP!_**" He shouted as he ran.

**_-----_**

Sun heard it first, yanked on Michael's sleeve and pointed towards the hillside.

It didn't take but a second for Michael to make it out. "_OH SHIT_! Hurley!" He squinted his eyes. "Is that--" his stomach fell to the soles of his shoes. "Is that Sayid in his arms? Who the _HELL _is that behind them." He gulped as he saw Hurley looked to the side at a spear in the ground.

He turned to the others. "_**JACK**_! We've got a _SITUATION _over here!"

Jack and the others looked up.

"Holy crap!"

"You could say that again." Chimed in Charlie.

"Charlie, get the others to the cave. Have someone go tell the people on the beach to either get to the cave or take shelter under the wreckage, and tell them to stay together because there's someone dangerous on the loose that's not from our crash."

Charlie nodded and began running.

"Michael, go with Charlie. Make sure no one leaves. And if you see Locke, have him bring some knives--" he gulped hard. "We're going to need them for protection."

"Got it." He said then took off as the other survivors started running back to the cave.

**"_Boone_!" **Jack looked around but he was gone. '_Probably better off, Shannon would kill me if something happened to him_.' He thought belatedly. _'Okay, Jack, it's up to you. You have to get Hurley and Sayid to the cave safely-- you can do this_.' He swallowed down hard against the recriminations of his father and started waving his arms to Hurley.

"_**C'MON HURLEY!! YOU CAN DO IT!**!" _He shouted encouragements, all the time, praying that they worked.

**_----_**

Kate looked at Sawyer. "Did you just see-- what I just saw?"

Sawyer nodded. "We're going to have to help him, you realize that, right?"

Kate nodded, and they both hid further behind the trees on the other side of the valley. They were the closest to Hurley and Sayid. They realized that Jack wasn't staying where he was for his own protection so much as for Hurley to have a goal to reach and friend there once he was reached it. They also realized that Hurley was carrying Sayid, but they both decided to ignore how small and limp he looked in Hurley's arms.

It didn't take long for Hurley to pass them. He was still hollering and screaming. "**_AAAAHHHH!!! HELLLLLLP!!!_**" And it took even less for the lady to make it by them.

"One."

"Two."

"**_THREE!_**"

On three Sawyer said a silent prayer for forgiveness for hurting a lady, put his shoulder down and ran, tackled her.

She screamed in surprise, and they started rolling around on the ground.

'_Damn she's strong_,' he thought as the woman fought him.

He was trying not the hurt her, but she had one arm pinned underneath him and the other-- the one that Sayid had accidentally stabbed, restrained above his hand.

He looked at his arm, and then her, and then his arm, and then back at her, frantically. He couldn't move, she was _DAMNED _strong. As she pulled out her dagger he screamed.

**_---_**

Boone was hidden just out of sight of Kate and Sawyer. He was rooting for Sawyer, but when he saw her go for her dagger he knew that he was in trouble. He had to act.

Swallowing hard, he let out a scream did the same thing Sawyer did, only he managed to knock the dagger out of her hand and far, far away from her grasp.

He wrestled with her, she had her hands around his neck, strangling him, he was gasping for breath '_So this is how Shannon feels_' he thought bitterly as he tried to pry her hands from his windpipe.

Kate helped Sawyer to his feet. "She's a _STRONG _bitch." He panted.

Kate nodded and they both jumped into the fray to help Boone.

As they were rolling on the ground trying to get an upper hand, Hurley and Jack were running as fast as they could back to the caves.

"He's hurt, he's hurt bad." Hurley told Jack as they jumped over a fallen tree-- something that Hurley thought he would never be able to do.

"Just concentrate on getting to the cave, Hurley." Jack nodded.

"You shoulda seen it Jack. It was bad… really bad."

Jack just shook his head and looked at Sayid's face as they entered the cave,

Michael followed as they ran over to where Jack had his medical things arranged. "Jack, Locke's on a hunt."

"Did he take his briefcase?" He asked as they gently laid Sayid down on a fresh blanket that Shannon had arranged when Charlie had told them what was going on.

"Yeah, but he did leave a few. I've already put some of the guys at the entrances and all the women and Walt are further into the cave and Charlie's guarding them-- well, he's there for Claire, but he has a knife."

"Good, good…" He looked Hurley was trying to catch his breath. "Hurley, go wash up. Rest, drink some water."

Hurley nodded, then looked down at his arms. They were sticky and covered with a maroonish colored substance. He blinked his eyes, the color draining from his face. "Blood." He gulped. His arms were covered in dried blood.

Jack noticed it and watched the big man closely. "Are you okay?"

He nodded, absently. "Oh, Jack?"

"Yes, Hurley."

"I think I sprained my ankle." He said softly, before leaning against the caves wall and sliding down to the floor, unconscious.

Michael's eyes widened.

Jack looked at him as he carefully cut the ropes from Sayid's feet and wrists. "Did I forget to mention he doesn't do well around blood?"

**_----_**

Please review, I'm such a review ho :D.

I know I don't do well with fight scenes. I see them in my head well, but they never quite translate onto the written screen the way they do in my head. So, if nothing else. Review and tell me that it didn't suck too horrible lol


	2. Emergancy Ro Err Cave

**WARNING WARNING WARNING**

**This chapter is TWENTY pages long. And believe it or not, I don't like the way it ends. In fact, I don't really like this chapter. I feel like I have let you all down HORRIBLY** ** . I seriously hope yall can forgive me for the let down**.  **The next chapter… I hope… will be considerably better.**

Somehow, during the struggle the whacko French lady had managed to produce yet another dagger and raised it to stab Boone in the chest. Soon, all four were rolling around on the ground. Sawyer, Boone and Kate had their hands on her wrists, the daggers handle and her arms, so that she couldn't just drop it into Boone's chest.

They were grunting and rolling and nodding to one another as too which direction to roll but nothing seemed to work. Soon it was apparent to Sawyer that his right arm was weakening, as even months after the father, his muscle mass wasn't what it had been before. And, unfortunately for them all, the French woman seemed to realize that his right side was his weakness, as she shifted the daggers blade from Boone's chest to Sawyer who was on his right, Boone was in the middle and Kate was on Boone's left.

Sawyer cursed under his breath as his muscle clenched, tightened sharply and faltered, giving the French woman even more of an upper hand

Boone tried valiantly to steer her back to the middle, but she wouldn't budge.

Suddenly Sawyers arm completely gave out, which caused the other two to falter as well, which gave her the leverage and momentum she need to stab. She lunged down.

Kate screamed.

Sawyer screamed.

But it was Boone's scream that caused birds to be stirred and fly away in droves.

The fight ended just as suddenly as it had begun. Her body went limp, falling to the side revealing Locke, red faced, winded, and holding a home made club in his hands.

"LOCKE! Where the HELL have you been!" Kate exclaimed, trying to catch her breath.

"ForGET that! Good aim, ol'timer!" Sawyer declared as he checked himself for woundsbesides his pride, that is.

"I was hunting, actually, Kate. And I just so happened to see Hurley running down the side of the hill from my hunting ground. I decided to check it out... Boone..."

"What the..." Sawyer muttered finding no wounds.

Boone moaned, rolling onto his side, his hands shakily cradling his aching wound. They could plainly see blood gushing from through his fingers.

"Ah, JEEZ kid. Why'd you go and do something stupid like that?" He mock whined, dropping to his knees, tearing the sleeve off his shirt and applying it to his wound.

"Couldn't let you be the only one to leave here with a stabbing story, now could I?" He grit out between clenched teeth as Sawyer applied pressure to his wound.

"It was nice and stupid, not to mention awfully dumb. Your sisters going to have a fit, you realize that, right?"

Boone groaned inwardly. "Shut up!" He hissed sucking in his breath.

Locke and Kate were securing the woman, Kate called out. "Everything okay over there?"

"**NO**! Bitch stabbed Boone."

"It's a scratch." He called out weakly, yelping as Sawyer increased the pressure upon the gash. "A scratch."

"Yeah, didn't Mercutio say the same exact God damned thing... weren't his next words something about worm's meat?" Snorted Sawyer.

Boone regarded him for a moment before crying out as the pain increased and began to spread throughout his entire abdomen.

Kate looked at Locke. "Are you sure that you can manage her by yourself?"

Locke nodded. "She won't be coming around for a while. Go," he nodded over to the others. "Help Sawyer with Boone; carry his legs high, try to keep the wound as elevated as possible and HURRY." He urged.

"If you're sure…"

"Hurry, before he goes into shock!"

"Okay," she double tied the knot that connected her hands and feet and rushed over to Sawyer and Boone.

"We need to get him to Jack."

"Don't you think that Dr. Quinn had enough on his plate with Lardo and Omar?" He snorted testily.

"Do you _want_ to have to be the one that tells Shannon that he brother died because you couldn't get over your petty jealousy of Jack?" She snapped.

"Point taken." he nodded. "She's a feisty one. Not as feisty as Spitfire over there... that one there... she must have eaten her Wheaties today."

Kate rolled her eyes, as she knelt down next to Boone. "It's going to be okay." She smiled warmly. "Just relax, and keep putting pressure on the wound while Sawyer and I carry you back to camp."

"Carry me?"

"Yeah! Carry him?" Sawyer mimicked incredulously.

"Look, either we carry him or he walks, goes into shock, and **_dies_**. In which case I will _personally_ gift wrap you, and deliver you to Shannon. I'll even make a bow and stuff it in your mouth." She threatened him calmly.

He paused. "O-okee, Booneyboy." He turned to him with a smile. "Looks like we're gonna carry ya." He offered dryly.

"I'll take his legs, you take his arms. We need to hurry, but not so much that we jostle him a lot or trip on something." Kate instructed.

Sawyer saluted her as he got into position. "Yessir, lady, cap'n, man, sir."

"Shove off, Sawyer." She looked down at Boone who was in obvious pain. "Just hold on, this won't take long."

He nodded, grimacing only when they lifted him up.

Sawyer turned his head toward Locke. "Hey, Hunter!" He called out. Locke turned to him from where he was crouched next to the woman, preparing her for transport. "Thanks for the assist, it's appreciated." His gratitude was honest and heartfelt. It caused Locke to smile.

"You're welcome, I'm glad I could be of assistance to you hooligans." He added with a smile.

Sawyer shook his head in amusement. "See you back at the cave old man." He grunted, readjusting Boone. "Don't be a stranger, Stranger."

After a few seconds the trio had disappeared around the corner. Locke turned to the woman and smiled. "We better get going." He nodded to himself. "Before I have to knock you out again."

"What do... you mean?" Wheezed Shannon. "You thought... that Boone... was already... back here... You mean... he's still... out there..." she turned from Claire to Charlie.

"I'm sure he's fine, Shannon." Claire offered optimistically.

"Yeah," she shot back with a sharp wheeze. "And we all.. thought that Sayid... was going to ... be okay... on his own... and look how wrong... we were?"

"Love, if you don't calm down, you're going to have another attack." Charlie warned a bit frantically. "Besides, they'll be fine, just you watch." _'Oh please, oh please, oh please, oh please.' _He prayed.

Walt and Sun walked over to them.

"I brought Mrs. Sun over because, you know, I heard you breathing funny." He turned to Sun, made a rubbing motion over his chest and breathed in deeply, then pointed to Shannon. Sun nodded as she produced the eucalyptus concoction from her pant pocket and handed it to Shannon.

"Thank you," she breathed raspily, rubbing the herbs across her collar bone and upper chest, breathing in deeply.

"Thanks Walt." Claire patted the ground next to her. "Why don't you sit down for a bit?" She offered with a friendly smile.

He thought about it for a second before shaking his head. "Nah, that's okay, Ms. Claire. I think I'm gonna go sit by the entrance and wait for Mr. Dr. Jack and Mr. Hurley." He pausing, biting down on his lower lip, before asking. "Would it be okay for her to stay with you guys, so that, you know, her husband doesn't drag her off or something?"

Charlie, Shannon and Claire shared a meaningful look. "Sure, buddy," Charlie said quickly. He got up and dusted himself off. Then, with a smile, he motioned to Sun to the spot in between the two girls. She nodded, and sat down between them. "Okay. I'll join you and we can watch together."

Walt's eyes lit up. "COOL!" He exclaimed excitedly, as he and Charlie walked away.

After a long pause Shannon leaned heavily against the caves wall and let out a long sigh. "Claire?"

"Yes?"

Shannon paused, as she tried to collect herself but she only succeeded in becoming more upset. "I feel... I feel like I've been... stabbed."

Claire straightened, alarmed. "What!" She hissed. She looked at the young woman, her own heart sinking with each passing second. "It's going to be okay." _'It just HAS to be.'_

Just as Charlie and Walt were about to sit down on a rock just outside the cave; Jack and Hurley rushed by.

"GANG WAY! BIG GUY COMING THROUGH!" Hurley shouted as they barreled through the entrance of the cave.

Charlie and Walt jumped to their feet, their jaws slack, and their face's pale.

"OhMeGawd," breathed Charlie.

"Mr. Sayid... He... He didn't look very good." Walt whispered shakily.

"Don't worry, Mate." He tried to reassure him. "I'm sure he'll be okay..." _'Eventually... I hope._' He added silently. "Let's go back to the girls, and keep the calm."

"Especially Ms. Claire and Ms. Shannon."

'_Yeah, and me_.' He thought morbidly.

Jack and Hurley caused a great stir as they barreled through the cave. "MOVE! GET OUT OF MY WAY! FRIEGHT TRAIN COMING THROUGH! MOVE IT OR LOSE IT!" Hurley hollered as a warning.

People gasped as they jumped out of their way. Charlie and Walt rushed to the corner of the caves. Charlie saw Sun and had an idea.

"Oh my God! Charlie! Did you SEE them?" Gasped Claire.

He shook his head solemnly. "Aye that I did." He went over to Sun and knelt by her, took her hand into his own and spoke in a soft, yet determined voice. "I know you can't understand a word that I'm saying, but we need you to help Jack."

She nodded, stood up and hurried out.

"At least she understood what you meant." _'I hope._' Claire added to herself.

Walt was sitting next to Shannon, rubbing her back soothingly. "Don't worry Ms. Shannon; Mr. Dr. Jack will make them better."

Shannon took little comfort from his words and let out a sob.

Michael stared wide eyed as Hurley slid down the wall of the cave and onto the floor in the sitting position.

Jack cursed under this breath. "Did I mention that he doesn't do well with the sight of blood?"

"No," Michael shook his head. "No, you didn't." He paused. "Is there anything I can do to help?"

Jack thought for a second before answering with a nod. "Yes, clean the blood off of Hurley's arms and try and find him a different shirt." He instructed as he hurriedly cut the bounds around Sayid's feet and hands. He tried to unclench his fists, but they would not come undone. "The last thing we need is for him to wake up, see the dried blood, smell it, and then pass out again."

Michael nodded in agreement. "Got it." As he turned to get some water he nearly mowed down Sun. "Oh, sorry" his voice trailed off. "What are you" he started softly, but she looked over his shoulder to Jack and Sayid. "Oh..." he nodded. "Tell me if you need any help." He whispered so that Jack didn't hear him.

She smiled and nodded. "Thank you... Michael." She whispered slowly before approaching Jack.

Jack turned, saw Sun and smiled. "Hey," he greeted.

She smiled, turned to Sayid pointedly.

"Yeah he's" he caught himself, and shook his head. "It's not like you understand me anyway." He chuckled.

Sun grimaced inwardly, her heart wrenching in her chest with guilt. But Jack didn't notice as he was busy using the spring water to flush out Sayid's wounds on his back, chest and side. Sun watched for a few seconds, catching the drift of what he was going, as well as the urgency of his frantic pace and started doing as he was doing on his legs and feet as Jack had already cut the legs off Sayid's pants 2 inches above his knees.

Jack couldn't help but smile at this. "I guess some things transcend language," he muttered to himself as relief washed over him.

She watched him closely and noticed that something was unsettling Jack.

"C'mon Sayid, wake up, moan, do something, anything..." he whispered urgently as the water cascaded down his shoulders, through his long dark sweat drenched curls; that had grown considerably during his absence captivity, down his shoulders and now lean chest.

"Why isn't he reacting?" he asked himself sharply. He took a moment to sit back and look at Sayid, really look at him, and was hit by how **_tiny_** and **_skinny_** he looked. "He's lost a significant amount of weight and body mass." He muttered worriedly to himself. He didn't like how his once muscular form was now borderline skeletal. It worried Sun as well, he was going to be hungry when he regained consciousness, and God only knew how long it had been since his last proper meal.

After she finished drying and dressing the wounds on Sayid's feet she tended to his ankles; where there were deep cuts and burns that went all the way around his ankles from where he had pulled or been yanked around. Sun looked over her shoulder and noticed Michael rushing over with an XXXL t-shirt that presumably belonged to Hurley as well as water bottles, a wash clothe, and a dry towel.

She hesitated a second, as she finished bandaging his ankles, before standing up. When Jack shot her a quizzical look she pointed towards Michael and Hurley. He smiled and nodded his understanding before going back to work on Sayid.

Michael looked up saw Sun and was startled at first. "Oh, it's just you." He breathed a sigh relief as he carefully started to rinse off Hurley's blood stained arms.

"He was brave, yes?" She asked softly, as she startled to rinse off the other arm.

"Yeah, from the looks of it," he glanced over his shoulder at Sayid. "I'd say we're damned lucky that Hurley hit that ball as hard as he did and found Sayid when he did. I just hope it wasn't too late."

Sun nodded, inwardly praying for the young man. _'He has to make it, he just has too.'_

After Michael stripped Hurley of his blood stained shirt Sun helped him lean Hurley forward.

"On three," he held up three fingers, "let go of him as I put this shirt over his head." The gestures he used to 'communicate' with her were almost comical; but she knew that it was merely a 'show' for the others. If only she could tell him how much his efforts warmed her heart.

"Okay?" He flashed the universal sign for 'OK'. She nodded her head in understanding.

'_I will repay your kindness day, I swear.' _She promised herself with a sad smile.

"Okay," he readied the shirt, "on one, two, **_three_**…" They both grunted as she pushed Hurley forward with all of her might so that he wasn't leaning against the call wall as Michael pulled the shirt over his head and put his arms through ht correct corresponding holes.

"Okay, now, easy does it… careful… careful…" they gingerly laid the bigger man down on his side, "…that's it… good…" He smiled; a warm pleasant smile. Sun put an airline blanket over him, and Michael had already placed an airline cushion underneath his head as a pillow. "Rest big guy, you've earned it." Michael said as he patted his arm.

They both walked back over to Jack; who was trying to stop the bleeding. Is wounds were clotting; thankfully, but there were so many that it was hard to get them done before shock set it.

"Can we help?" Michael asked.

Jack looked up and was about to answer when another commotion arose at the entrance of the cave.

"**Move it or lose it. Stab wound coming through!**"

"_Oh GOD! Boone!"_ Sobbed Shannon.

They heard Sawyer curse under his breath at Shannon's reaction as he continued to run through the cave.

Jack stood up as Sawyer and Kate got closer. He could make out a limp body in Sawyer's arms and knew that it was Boone.

Sawyer laid Boone down a few feet away from Sayid.

"What the **_hell_** happened?" He demanded.

"Crazy bitch stabbed him. It's a long story, we'll explain later. Fix him first, Hero." Sawyer panted.

They had given up on carrying Boone as soon as he had passed out. They had freaked out when it had happened and Sawyer carried his limp body while Kate applied pressure to the wound.

Jack gingerly removed Sawyers blood strained sleeve from the puncture wound. "Damn, damn, _damn_." He cursed softly.

Shannon rushed over, her chest heaving, her face pale. "B-Boone." She whispered haltingly.

Charlie ran up and tried to lead her away. "Awful sorry about that mate's," he turned to Shannon. "Let the man do his job."

"N-no, no, I… I can't… I can't just… just leave h-him," she wheezed, her hands shook as she wrung them in front of her chest.

"**_Shannon_**!" Jack exclaimed suddenly. "You **_have_** to stay calm. Because if you have an asthma attack, then I won't be able to help Boone, do you _understand?_" He hated resorting to emotional blackmail, but he **really** needed to tend to Boone quickly.

Her face fell and her breathing became more labored and shallow.

'_Oh, **shit**, I've just sent her into an attack anyway._'

Michael stepped in. "How about Charlie and I take her out for some air?" He offered gently.

"Good idea, I'll send someone out with an update as soon as one is available, is that okay Shannon?"

She nodded her head lamely as Michael and Charlie began to lead her away. She kept looking over her shoulder as they walked away, wanting nothing more than too run back and hold his hand and stay at his side.

Jack watched them as they left, as both Walt and Claire followed them out. _'Good, at least they'll have help keeping her calm'_ He looked over his shoulder and saw that Sayid was being attended to by Sun and surprisingly enough, Jin. He was thankful that Sun was around for her strength, compassion, her knowledge of herbal remedies, and her willingness to help others.

As he turned back to Boone, Kate and Sawyer he thanked whatever higher power had seen to it that she was there.

"Kate, would you get my sewing kit?"

"Got it," she read off to retrieve the kit.

Sawyer glared at Jack; as he nervously rubbed his bloodied hands against his pants.

"What happened out there, Sawyer?"

"I ain't gonna explain nuthin' to you, Doc Quinn," he growled

Jack could barely restrain an eye roll. "Amuse me; I'd like to know the circumstances surrounding my patient's current condition."

"Why? So you can blame me?" He demanded.

"_Sawyer_!" Kate snipped, as she handed Jack the sewing kit.

"Thanks," he took the kit and looked at the wound, his crude 'operating' room, and winced before starting examining the wound.

"Just tell him the truth."

Sawyer rolled his eyes. "I'd rather only re-live it once, so why not wait until he's done and Sticks is here too?" He didn't bother giving them time to answer, as he rose to his feet and walked away.

Jack turned to Kate. "Just tell me."

She shook her head. "He has a point; it should only be told once." She replied solemnly.

He shook his head and turned his attentions back to Boone.

Sawyer didn't go far; he hid himself in the shadows of the caves and watched. He walked around quietly to where Hurley laid, about 10 to 20 feet away from Jack Sayid, Boone, Kate and the Koreans. Rose; the woman who had quickly become looked upon as everyone's adoptive mother/grandmother, was sitting next to him, stroking his arm and humming softly. The Koreans were tending to Sayid, putting some concoction on the wounds that couldn't be sewn up after washing them off. Jack was examining Boone; applying why looked to be a tourniquet to wound before he started to sew up his insides, as Kate watched and talked.

"Didn't you momma ever teach you that staring is impolite?" Rose said, though she didn't look up from Hurley.

Sawyer jumped a little, spinning around, with his hand over his thumping heart. "Din't **_your_** momma ever teach you that startlin' the **crap **outtapeople right neither?" He shot back defensively. "**_Jesus_**, woman, you tryin' to give a man a **heart attack?**"

Rose smiled her pleasant congenial smile. "You never answer my question."

"Neither did you, and I asked you **_two_**!"

"Yes, but I asked you first." She added with a self satisfied smile.

He shook his head. "You've got me there." With a heavy sigh he answered her question. "I haven't had a 'momma' in over 23 years. She didn't teach me nothing of the like." He whispered sadly, looking away to avoid the pity in her eyes.

"And your father?"

"The same." He answered as he sat down beside her on a felled log that had been brought in for furniture.

She clucked her tongue sadly.

"I don't need your pity, o'lady." He snarled venomously.

"Oh honey, this ain't pity I feel for you. I'm just sad that any child should have to grow up without the love of their parents." She admonished softly, she dropped the one hand from Hurley's arm as her other hand drifted towards Sawyers back. She started to rub concentric circles in the middle and small of his back. He was tense; every muscle in his shoulders, neck and back was taut and hard with stress.

He tried to give off the air of annoyance, but Rose could tell that he thought it felt good. The message felt good, but the human contact- affection if you will, was ever better. He didn't know how long it had been since a woman had touch him without it being sexual. Couldn't remember the last honest affection he'd been given. He couldn't recall the last touch that had made him feel so safe and secure.

Oh wait, he could: **his mother**

He could feel his emotions welling up, the barriers that had taken years to develop; crumble like soggy corn bread. He had to pull himself together or he was going to crumble beneath her fingernails, as they scratched his back in a familiar—almost familial way. He rubbed his palm against his scruffy jaw gruffly, trying to suppress his raw, jagged, suffocating emotions. Trying to reel in his base human desire and need for human contact. "What happened to big boy?" He asked his voice thick and coarse with emotion.

He watched out of the corner of his eye as she glanced at Hurley's still sleeping form and shook her head. "He sprained his ankle."

"Most folk don't faint because of a sprained ankle." He snorted, his chin resting on the palm of his hand.

"True," she acknowledged. "But most 'folk' as you put it, hadn't just run down a mountain while carrying a close friend; who'd been badly hurt, in their arms, with a mentally unstable French woman on their heels." She counter pointed.

He nodded. "You've got a point there."

"And besides that, he had this thing about blood."

"Yeah?" He asked curiously.

"Uh huh," she nodded. "She doesn't do well around it."

"Oh," and then he snorted. "Makes ya wonder how he made it so far without fainting."

Rose let herself smile at this. "I heard that as soon as he set Sayid down and saw Sayid's blood on his arms he passed out."

Sawyer let out a low whistle. "Talk about good timing."

"Indeed." Rose felt a cold wind blow through the mouth of the cave and shivered. "Would you mind handing me those to blankets?" She politely asked, motioning towards the blankets that were sitting on the floor just a few feet away from Hurley.

With a reluctant sight he bent over and grabbed two of the blankets. Her hand slipped from his back to her own lap. He handed her the blankets and crossed his arms defensively around his waist. Where her hand had once laid on his back was now cold, he wished she would put her hand back, but dared not to say it out loud or make an overture to that effect.

She took the first blanket and draped it over Hurley. The second blanket she draped over her own lap as well as Sawyer's, when he didn't protest the action she patted his leg affectionately, leaving her hand there. "Thank you," she whispered sincerely.

"Wudn't nuthin'," he shrugged, turning his attention back to Sayid and Boone, trying to keep his mind off of the tumultuous feelings that Rose was churning up inside him. Rose followed his gaze toward Boone and she could have sworn that she could see the turmoil brewing in his eyes.

"What happened out there?" She asked softly.

"I got Boone stabbed." He answered reflexively heaping the blame onto his own shoulders.

"I don't believe that for one cotton picking second." She retorted without hesitation. "What happened? What **_really_** happened out there on that golf course?" she emphasized it giving his leg a reassuring squeeze.

"It don't matter."

"It does too."

"Jack-o already has me tried, convicted, sentenced and awaiting execution."

"The truth will set you free, young man. Now tell me the truth. The honest to **_God_** truth." She said with a stern, yet not condescending tone, as she shook her finger at him.

He sighed heavily, knowing that he could never deny a momma type personality. "The woman that was chasing Hurley was getting to close, but Hurley didn't realize it, and wouldn't have until it was too late. F" he caught himself about to cut and coughed to cover. "The crazy b" she looked up sharply and he grimaced. "Well, she **_is_** crazy, FreckI mean Kate and I were gonna tackle her, but Kate froze, while I tackled her. Before we even hit the ground she had pulled out this huge knife and we were fighting over itmainly I was fighting her not the get stabbed."

"She's strong, really strong, and my arm," he flexed his bicep weakly. "My arm ain't what it used to be, and it must have shown because she shifted all of her body weight to that side of my body." He paused thoughtfully.

"She almost had me; she was just about to stab me when Boone jumped her. He knocked the knife out of her hand but she started to strangle him. I couldn't overpower her by myself, and neither could Boone. So Kate and I jumped into the fray. But I'll be damned if she didn't pull out another knife and aim it ChiI mean Boone's heart." He snorted.

"You'd think that between the three of us that we **_should_** have been able to disarm her." He shook his head when Rose nodded. "We thought so too. And we all thought wrong. Between the three of us we wrestled the **_hell_** out of her. Kate had her hands on her hands, Boone had his hands on the knife's grip and I had my hands on her arms. But nothing worked. She was going to stab Boone in the chest. **Heck**, we were probably lucky that she didn't break his neck before we got involved." He closed his eyes, replaying how Boone had tried so desperately to disarm her and how Kate had tried to pry her hands from the knife to no avail.

"We wrestled around. We exhausted ourselves and that **_bi_****_woman_**" he caught himself once more, "that **woman** acted like it was nothing." He snorted. "It was like, that was her warm-up. Be we were tired, we ain't used to that kind of combat, you know what I mean?"

She nodded her head, squeezing his leg once more.

"We-e-ell, she was winnin', royally whoopin' our collective abutts. Right about then my arm started to give out again; and she could tell becauseonce again she shifted all of her body weight and changed the aim of the knife towards **_me_**." His eyes glazed over as the scene replayed itself in his minds eye, complete with the earth shattering screams that he, Boone and Kate had let out as she had plunged the knife downward.

He shook his head sharply, trying to shake loose the memory and the screams. "Next thing I knew; crazy lady was on the ground unconscious, Locke was standing above us, Kate and I were on our feet and Boone," he let out a sigh of resignation. "Boone was on the ground, holding his side, moaning." He turned to her, his hair shading his eyes. "Do you see what I mean? Anyway you look at it"

"Now old on a second, honey." She interrupted him with a raise of her hand. "How did Boone get stabbed if she was trying to stab you?"

"He pulled it towards himself at the last moment."

"And, pray tell, young man, how is **_that_** your fault?"

He shook his head. "If I had been able to take her in the first place"

Rose clucked her tongue and shook her head. "He was trying to help you, can't you see that?"

"Yeah, and in the process he nearly got himself kilt." He growled.

"But he did that on his own free will, you didn't force him into it. He didn't **_have _**to, but he did. And whether he did it to save you or spare you the pain of yet another wound, or for any number of reasons, it doesn't really matter. All that **_really_** matters is that it's been done. And we can't change that, and I really honestly doubt that young Boone did it so that you could rake yourself over the coals…"

"But…"

"Ah, ah, ah. **_No _**buts. And when Dr. Jack asks you what happened out there, you had better tell him what you just told me, because anything else is a **_lie_**! You hear me young man?" She asked with a stern but gentle tone.

He hung his head and grumbled something underneath his breath.

"Excuse me?"

He groaned loudly. "**_Fine_**, okay, I'll do it. Happy now?"

"You'll tell him what you told me, word. for. word?" She asked undeterred.

"Yeah, yeah, I'll tell 'im."

Rose smiled, her hand squeezing his leg reassuringly. "Thank you." She beamed.

"I don't see the point. He's already made up his own mind." He grumbled, crossing his arms, leaning forward and resting his arms across his knees, successfully hiding Roses; she noticed it as well… and figured that he didn't want the others to think that he had gone soft.

Rose shook her head and decided against attempting to convince Sawyer that Jack was a good and fair man. "You'll see, Sawyer. Just you wait and see." She said instead as she patted his leg once more.

They sat in a companionable silence, with only the sounds of Hurley's light breathing, the crackling of the fire and the hushed hurried voice of Jack as he worked to mar the silence as they watched him frantically work over Boone. Out of the corner of his eye he could also see the Korean couple working hard on Sayid as well. But they both watched Jack intently.

Jack, for his own part, was working frantically cleaning, sewing, suturing, and re-cleaning, as fast as he could manage. Kate sat next to Boone, wiping the perspiration from his brow. They were both eternally thankful that Boone had stayed unconscious throughout the ordeal.

Jack wiped the perspiration from his forehead with the back of his arm as he continued to sew and suture and swear under his breath.

When he finally sat back on his heels after finishing the last stitch Sawyer stood up, pushing aside the blanket, and casting Rose one last look before striding across the length of the cave to where Jack sat washing his hands WHILE Kate washed of Boone's stitches and cover him with a blanket.

"How is he?" He asked curtly.

Jack hesitated.

"How **_is_** he?" He asked again, sharper this time.

"So far, so good."

"Meaning…"

"**_Meaning_**, if he stays lying still, and his stitches keep, he _might_ be okay. If infection doesn't set in, and he rest until it heals, me _might_ be okay." He trialed off in frustration. "Listen, these are by no means the most idyllic circumstances for would such as this to happen. But **_whoever_** kept him calm, convinced him to let someone carry him back, and applied pressure to his wound prevented him from going into shock; which is something that **_I _**couldn't have cured or fixedis the person that Boone owes his life to right now."

"Between the pressure that was put on the wound, the expedience that you two got him back her, and the fact that he was kept calm, which was a smart move because the more you panic the more your blood pumps, and the more calm you stay the less blood you lose, and the fact that wound didn't nick any main arteries or large blood vessels or organs, it's a miracle… a miracle that it didn't hit an organ…" He trailed off thoughtfully.

Sawyer regarded him for a moment before speaking. "I'm gonna go and get Sticks, I wanna know what to tell her when she starts bombardin' me with questions, so tell me the truth… is there a chance he'll"

"Honestly, from here on out, we have to take things day to day, hour to hour, moment to moment. There's no telling what is going to happen, and there's no way of telling what's going on inside his body healing-wise. But we're going to try. We'll have to work out some kind of schedule for people to sit with him until he wakes so that he doesn't strain himself. And even after he wakes up, someone's going to have to wait on him hand and foot until he's better; he's going to be on his back for at **_least_** a month, maybe longer depending on variables to numerous to even contemplate at this juncture…"

"So, in other words…"

"Right now, at this moment, he's going to be okay… we just have to take it from there." He thought about it for a second before nodding his head again. "It's the best way to put it…when you get her, if she has any questions, I'll be helping Jin and Sun with Sayid."

"Yeah, I got it." He muttered as he walked away, his hands shoved into his pockets, his eyes down cast, his mind reeling and trying to come up with the exact words to say to Shannon.

But words weren't necessary, and not because Shannon had passed out, and not because she looked into his eyes and understood, but because the moment he walked out of the cave was the moment that Locke came around the corner carrying the woman that had attacked them.

And **_at_** that moment Shannon looked up from where she had been sitting, with Walt, Michael, Claire and Charlie, breathing the best she could, and without even having to meet Locke's eyes, Shannon had known. She hadn't screamed or sobbed, but instead she lunged at her. Michael and Charlie had been sitting and scrambled to restrain her, but it was Sawyer that was able to get to her the quickest. He wrapped his arms around her waist as she lunged towards them and pulled her sharply against his chest. He hugged her around her chest, pinning her arms to her sides.

"Woah there cowgirl," he hissed as she struggled against him.

"Lil help here, please." Locke called out as Michael and Charlie got to their feet.

The woman was awake, and angry and trying her damnedest to get out of his grasp.

"Yeah, yeah, what you need?" Charlie asked, as Claire and Walt got up and stepped away from Locke and the crazy woman.

"Rope and a place to tie her up where we can make it so that her hands are not together and neither are her legs." He grunted at she struggled against his grip.

"Let. Me.**_ GO!_**" Shannon ground out as she struggled against Sawyer's bear hug.

"Ya really want me to let ya go? Or would ya rather go and see how yer brothers doin?" He asked sharply as he pulled her even further away from the ruckus.

Shannon stilled her struggle against his arms and gasped softly. "J-Jack's done… he's done with Boone?" She asked her voice quivering as she spoke.

"Yeah, you wanna see him?"

"Yeah," she whispered, waiting for him to let her go, he did, but he put his arm around her waist and guided her back into the caves, but not before Shannon grabbed Walt and Claire by the hand and pulled them along. She doubted that either of them really wanted to be around the psycho lady, especially if she got loose.

She turned to Sawyer. "H-how is he?" Her voice hitched and he stopped suddenly.

"You ain't gonna have an attack are ya?"

"No, no, I just…" her hand absently rubbed her chest over her collar bone as she spoke. "I just want to know what I'm walking into… that's all."

"He's okay, for now, actually he's asleep." They turned were just about to turn a corner but Sawyer stopped her. He licked his lips nervously before he explained. "Listen, Jack said that it didn't hit any arteries or organs, and that we kept him calm enough and got him here quick enough that he was able to repair most of the damage; but darlin', this ain't no hospital. We gotta keep an eye on him and make sure he don't rip them stitches."

"But he's going to be okay…right?" She asked, her eyes pleading for some reassurance that her brother was going to be fine.

He put his hands on her shoulder and looked her straight in the eye. "I ain't gonna make no promises I can't keep. He said we gotta take 'is slow like, day to day, one moment to the next. Their ain't no guarantees, Shannon, but we're gonna try like hell to make sure he gets better, got me?"

She nodded her head wordlessly, tears pooling in her eyes.

"Okay, now be forewarned, he don't look as rosy cheeked as he did this mornin'." He warned her gently. She nodded her head and turned the corner.

He winced when she gasped, her steps faltering before rushing to his side and sitting next to him, her hand running down the side of his face gently as tears streamed down her face. "Oh God, Boone, what did she do to you…" She sobbed resting her forehead next to his. She curled up beside him, with her hand caressing his face as if she wanted to awaken him. But he didn't stir a bit.

"He looks so pale," and he did, but she didn't want to utter the other thought swirling around in her head. She didn't want to utter the fact that he looked dead. His pallor resembled that of the pallor her father had when theyBoone and herselfhad found him sitting at his desk, dead of an apparent heart attack in the middle of the night.

"Don't leave me, Boone." She sobbed softly, her lips brushing against his earlobe. "Oh God, don't let him leave me." She sobbed quietly as she pressed her lips against his warm skin. At least he was still warm; her father hadn't been when they had found him.

She pulled the blanket up around his torso, forced herself to pull herself together, set up and pulled his head into her lap. She stroked his forehead loving, brushing his messy bangs off his forehead as he slept.

Claire carefully sat down in front of her, giving her friends foot a reassuring squeeze. "I'm sure he'll be alright mate." She whispered softly.

"He has to be… he just has to be." She cried softly.

Jack walked up with Sawyer, who looked like he wanted to be anywhere but there at that very moment. "Shannon, Claire," he greeted simply.

"Jack," she wiped her eyes, her hands stilled their toying with Boone's hair and she looked at him intently. "What now?"

Jack knelt down beside them and sighed heavily. "Rest and lots of it. I hope he sleeps through the night, the more he sleeps the more his body has time to heal. Once he wakes up he's going to have to basically lie around for a while. The less he moves the less likely infection will set it. He's going to need someone to take care of him. I realize that this might hurt his pride a little, but when it comes down to it, a bruised ego is a lot better than an infection that I don't have the tools to fight."

Shannon nodded. "Is there anything that I can do while he's asleep?"

"Yeah, water, every once and a while if you could lift up the blanket," he leaned over and picked up the edge of the blanket and pulled it up. "And kind of…" Shannon's sharp gasp cut him off. Both he and Sawyer looked up sharply and saw that Shannon had her hand over her mouth and was looking away from the wound.

Claire crawled over and started rubbing her back. Her eyes met Jacks over Shannon's shoulder. "I'll make sure that the bandage has been changed; and that the wound stays clean." She promised softly.

"Sorry, sometimes being a doctor can come back to bite me in the ass." He shook his head as he dropped the blanket. "I forget, not everyone is used to seeing… that."

He stood up and looked at Sawyer. "You said something about Locke…"

Sawyer nodded to the mouth of the cave but his eyes never left the trio on the floor.

Outside

Jack walking quickly over to Locke, Charlie and Michael. "Need some help?"

"Yah think?" Quipped Michael, grunting when the woman tried to kick him in the groin. "Yeah, help would definitely be a good thing right now."

"Aye mate, she's a kicky one." Grunted Charlie as he tried vainly attempted to hold her legs together.

Locke nodded as well. "If you could get some rope that would be helpful." He turned back to the other two men helping him. "Let's try and get her over here and tie her up."

They coordinated their efforts, moved her over between that were close enough that they could tie one of her arms and one of her legs around the base of each without straining her limbs arms or giving her enough wiggle room that she could possible get herself free. Since they didn't have any rope they used vines that had been tightly braided together.

Locke admired their handy worked as he Michael, Charlie and Jack stood back and watched the woman trying thrash and spit at them.

"Lovely woman, I'm sure." Charlie quipped with a roll of his eyes.

tbc... in the next chapter.

Sawyer does as promises under Roses watchful eye.

Jacks three patients wake up... but who first?

and I honestly can say, I haven't the slightest idea how to end this story :eyes are crossed:

please read and review


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